As part of its initiatives to promote Japan as an international conference destination, JNTO is inviting leading international association executives and core-PCOs to attend the "Hosted Buyers Program - Meet Japan 2014", a fam trip which will be held for eight days beginning on February 28, 2014.

JNTO Will Open Jakarta Office to Serve the Rapidly Growing Number of Visitors to Japan from Southeast Asia

JNTO will soon open an office in Jakarta, Indonesia. This is JNTO's 14th overseas office. The number of visitors to Japan from Southeast Asia is soaring, with visitors from Indonesia showing an approximate 35% increase since January 2013.

Boosted by the announcement that the 2020 Olympics and Paralympics will be held in Tokyo, a number of major international conferences with 4,000 or more attendees have elected to come to Japan. The International Conference Center in Kyoto looks forward to welcoming The World Congress of Neurology (WCN), which will invite approximately 7,000 delegates in September 2017.

At a plenary session of the International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA) held from November 2-6 in Shanghai, the Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO) was recognized for its 40 years of membership.

Garuda Indonesia began offering flights between Osaka and Jakarta on November 8, 2013. Garuda already serves Tokyo with daily flights to Narita Airport. The new route from Jakarta serves Kansai International Airport in Osaka with four flights a week. Garuda also flies to Narita, Haneda, and Kansai International airports from Bali.

July 2014 will see the opening of a new meeting facility complex in the greater Tokyo area: the Kashiwa-no-ha Conference Center (KCC) and Mitsui Garden Hotel Kashiwa-no-ha (MGHK). The complex is located less than 30 minutes from central Tokyo along the Tsukuba Express Line (TEX).

The Tokyo Marriott Hotel opened on December 3, 2013, becoming Japan's third Marriott hotel. The hotel is a five-minute bus ride from Shinagawa Station, one of Tokyo's main railway hubs, served by many lines including the Tokaido Shinkansen bullet train and the Keikyu line, which offers 12-minute service to the international terminal of Haneda Airport.

Kyoto, one of Japan's early capital cities, has developed a special sightseeing program for participants of international meetings and incentive tours. The program opens up historic sites, such as ancient temples, to offer an experience of the elegant traditional culture steeped in the Kyoto atmosphere for over a thousand years.

From August 22-28, 2013, the 12th Asia Pacific Pharmaceutical Symposium was held in Chiba at the campus of Toho University. The theme was "Self-medication: be your healthcare partner". The conference was intended to give pharmaceutical students from around the Asia-Pacific region an opportunity to share information, and also to raise the profile of Japan's pharmaceutical industry within Asia. It drew a total of 400 attendees.

Sightseeing in Miyazaki: The best of Miyazaki's bright skies and sparkling seas: Aoshima and Nichinan Kaigan Area

Udo Shrine, dramatically located in a cliff side cave facing the sea, has a long history. It looks over a turtle-shaped sea rock called the "Kameishi." There is an indentation in the shell of the turtle, surrounded by a sacred rope. If you can manage to toss a ceramic "good-luck ball" into it, it means good fortune is coming your way!

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